Gaza City
Gaza is one of the oldest cities in the world. The
city is strategically situated between two
continents, Asia and Africa. This geographical
location made the city acquire a strategic and
extraordinary military status. It is the southern
front defense line not only of Palestine but of all
Sham area (Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan) as well. It
is also, the east northern advanced defense line of
the Egyptian depth. Consequently, the city had been
a battlefield for most of the ancient and recent
empires, the Pharaonic, the Assyrian, the Persian,
the Greek, the Roman, and the Crusades. Situated at
the climate division line and the latitude 31.3
degree north to the Equator, Gaza has occupied a
dividing position between the desert in the south
and the Mediterranean climate in the north. This
location, as such, had made the city acquire the
role of a prosperous trading market for world
products, both tropical, and cold. This importance
was reinforced by its distinguished position on a
hill, 45m above sea level and within a range of 3
Km. away from the sea.

About Gaza City:

The area of the city is 45 km2.

The number of inhabitants is about 400,000
people.

The city has three universities with a total of
28.500 students.

Three different currencies are used: US dollar,
Jordanian dinar and new Israeli shekel.

The gross domestic product per capita is (US$,
1997)1,76.

The highest temperature is in summer and reaches
32 °C.

The lowest temperature is in winter and reaches
6 °C.

The annual average wind speed is 19 knots.

The highest wind speed is in winter and reaches
60 knots.

The annual average rainfall is 350 - 400 mm.

The prevailing wind is from the southwest.

Economy

The economy in the Gaza Strip depended on agriculture and
small-scale industries. Major agricultural products
include citrus, olives, dates, flowers, strawberries
and other kinds of vegetables and fruit.
The city contains some small industry, including
furniture, food products, plastics, construction
materials, and textiles. A variety of wares are sold
in Gaza's street bazaars, including pottery, wicker
furniture, cotton clothing, carpets, stained glass
(bamboo), embroidery, and fishing. The economy of
Gaza City depends on trade, agriculture, tourism,
and industry.

1. Trade

Gaza
played a prominent role as a trade-based port, which
began to wilt at the end of the Ottoman Empire. It
should be noted that Gaza exported 1.5 million
dollars of wheat, barley, corn, dates, sesame,
leather and poultry in 1905. Also, it imported
various goods, amounting to 750 thousand dollars
thus achieving trade balance in its favor in that
year alone. Gaza's port seemed to be eclipsed by the
ports of Jaffa and Haifa.

After Israel occupied Gaza, Gaza's port remained
inactive. The people of Gaza were concerned with
trade markets, which they used to set up to display
their wares. One of the most important of these
markets was kaysariya, which still exists until now
in Daraaj district.

Now Gaza relies on Egypt and Israel, importing and exporting
certain industries and agricultural products. It has
exported citrus fruits and flowers to the world
several times in spite of Israel's harassment and
attempts to sabotage the export business. Israel
destroyed the Gaza International Airport, which was
important for the recovery of trade.

The economy of Gaza also depends primarily on fishing. In addition,
some residents of Gaza are currently grazing sheep
and cattle to take advantage of their milk, meat,
wool, and skins, which are used in some local
industries. It should also be noted the existence of
modern and health markets, which have been designed
to promote trade, including Yarmouk public market,
which is considered the first central market in the
city.

2. Agriculture
Gaza was famous for growing and exporting wheat, barley, and cotton to
the world. But growing different types of citrus,
such as lemon and orange, has spread in the Gaza
Strip. In addition, hives to produce honey were
established and potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and
fruit, mainly grapes, strawberries, figs, melons and
cantaloupe were grown. And irrigation in Gaza City depends on wells. Generally, the
economy in Gaza depends largely on the cultivation
and export of flowers to many countries around the
world.

3. Tourism

Tourism in Gaza depends mainly on the sea whose
beaches are famous for the golden bright sand.
Several precautionary measures were taken to protect
the beaches from pollution. Tourism also depends on
archaeological sites, some of which are currently
being discovered. Gaza is also famous for its
moderate weather in the summer and winter, which
encourages the people, to go to the beaches, parks,
and gardens. People also spend their leisure time on
farms, orchards, and at touristic facilities. The
most beautiful sights in Gaza are the sea, the
beaches, the coast, and the sky.

Archeological Sites
On the other hand, Gaza city and its surroundings
are considered a museum of history and painting on
which time records a glorious and precious heritage.
Gaza is one of the cities of the world that has
historic heritage; many monuments were found after
the spread of exploration in the nineteenth century.
The current city of Gaza hides historic treasures
under its sand. The City needs to be exploited to
highlight the ancient Arab identity, as we confront
an enemy intruder of no history but excelled in the
falsification of history. It is not surprising that
the Greek historian Herodotus, called the Father of
History, called Gaza the Great City, and that it was
praised by the Roman historian Pliny .
Unfortunately, many of these magnificent monuments
were stolen, destroyed or disappeared over time.

The Most important archaeological sites in Gaza City:

Mosque of Sayed Hashem,

It houses the tomb of Mr. Hashem Bin Abd Manaf in its dome, which
was established by the Mamluks. Gaza city was named
"Gaza Hashem" after the grandfather of Prophet
Muhammad. The Sultan Abdul Hamid renewed its
construction in 1850 (1,268 Hijri).

Mosque of Ibn Marwan

In it there is the tomb of the crown, Sheikh Ali bin Marwan

Great Omari Mosque

It was built in the First Islamic Covenant "conquest age."

Welayat Mosque

It is Adjacent to the Roman Orthodox Church, known
as the "Church of Saint Borvirios." It was
established in 735 Hijri of the Mamluk period. After
being destroyed, it was renewed by Sir Ahmed, the
writer of the state, in 995 Hijri during the reign
of Ottoman Sultan Selim II. There are currently 23
archaeological mosques in Gaza City.

Castle Al Radwan

The remaining of it still exists and it is situated where Al-Zahra
School is. It is a crusader castle, which was built
to replace an extinct Arab castle and renewed in
1149 during the reign of Baldwin III.

Roman Orthodox Church
- St. Borvirios

St. Parvirios was born in the city of Thessaloniki,
Greece, 347. He visited Gaza in 21/3/395 accompanied
by a "Deacon Mark" who wrote the life history of
this Saint. It took five years to build this church
and it was built in14/4/407 AD.

4. Industry
Gaza City was famous for many industries, including olives and soap, which
depends on oil as a raw material. There are also
small-scale industries in the city, including
textiles, carpets, embroidery, pottery, wicker
furniture, and stained glass (bamboo).

Some crafts were also inherited and are still used
by the people of the city. Such professions are
pottery, furniture, bamboo, embroidery, carpet,
copperware, and decorative tiles. Many of these
industries are found in public areas: pottery in
Daraj district, carpet in Sheja'aia, and iron and
steel in Feras market. In order to revive such
traditional crafts, Arts and Crafts Village was
established and which was built of mud, old
architectural style. A number of craftsmen in the
Village produce and sell stained glass, carpets,
pottery, embroidery and copper. And there is an art
exhibit that displays the work of Palestinian and
foreigner artists.

An old photo of the Fadous Band
Music plays an important role in Gaza daily life.
The visitor, especially in the summer, can hear the
different music of traditional "Fadous" bands. These
bands accompany wedding celebrations in the streets.
Gaza City is also famous for many traditional
dishes, in addition to fish and seafood whether is
grilled or fried. Other dishes contain meat and
rice.